Baltimore, MD – On Friday, October 11, 2002, in celebration of two years of achievements, the Baltimore Youth Opportunity (YO!) Movement will recognize supporters and present a performance of an original work, “Life Struggles… An Elevation of Love.” Written by the program’s arts interns, the composition reflects the challenges Baltimore’s youth face on a daily basis, from molestation to drug abuse, as well as the challenge of remembering one’s essential nobility, and culminates in the healing rituals of African drumming and dancing. The 6:30 p.m. event will take place at Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert Street, in the Pearlstone Theater. Theater seating is already filled to capacity.

An initiative of the Baltimore Workforce Investment Board Youth Council, Mayor’s Office of Employment Development and multiple partners, YO! serves young adults, ages 14 through 21, living in Baltimore’s Empowerment Zone communities. From basic job-readiness training to college admission and sports to performing arts, the program addresses the youth-development needs of participants and provides an alternative to street violence or crime. Over the past two years, YO! Baltimore has opened five centers and assisted over 2,100 youth, with 484 participants gaining employment, 58 enrolling in college, 189 graduating from high school and 28 completing GEDs.

Of the 36 cities in the country to receive a Youth Opportunity Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Baltimore received one of the four the largest grants, $44 million, which is being dispersed over a five-year period. The area’s elected officials helped to bring the money to Baltimore, many of whom will be honored at the Center Stage celebration.

Mayor’s Office of Employment Development’s Director Karen Sitnick states, “We greatly appreciate the dedication of our legislators and count on their continuing support to insure that Baltimore’s Workforce Investment Board Youth Council has the resources needed to help all of the city’s youth realize their full potential to become productive citizens and good neighbors.”

For additional information about YO! Baltimore and center locations, visit www.yobaltimore.org or call 410-361-9292.